Nanomagnets are small magnets with well-defined shapes in the submicron size range. The exchange energy and magnetostatic energy are of similar magnitude in nanomagnets such that one can tune the size and shape of the nanomagnets to produce very different spin structures, some of which have no counterparts in macroscopic magnets. Nanomagnets also display fascinating dynamics under a DC or an AC magnetic field dictated by their spin structures. Many important technologies, from read-heads to MRAM, utilize patterned nanomagnets, where the size and shape of the nanomagnets are as important as the intricate effects that enable the technology.

ANL Physics Division Colloquium Schedule